Agyem-Bediako, S F (2007) Management commitment to safety among multinational construction companies in developing countries: A case of Ghana. DSc thesis, University of Massachusetts Lowell, USA.
Abstract
Multinational construction companies have huge capital and better management knowledge than local contractors; hence, in some cases their level of performance is also better. The objective of this study was to investigate the perception of workers from four multinational construction companies on the level of management commitment to safety at their workplaces. The study was designed to answer the following questions: what is the perceived level of management commitment to safety among employees of the four participating companies? does a relationship exist between safety index (made up of 10 determinants) and injury rates? and do multinational construction companies have safety and health policies? Three hundred seventy eight construction workers and managers were surveyed. In addition to the survey, the investigator interviewed eight management safety representatives and 12 union labor representatives from 12 sites. The data obtained was presented using descriptive statistics, tables, graphs, pictures, and statistical parameters such as ANOVA and point-biserial. The results suggest a high level of management commitment to safe working environment among multinational construction companies in Ghana, a less developed nation. The Safety Index was identified as a significant predictor of Injuries. Age, unlike Safety training, did not confound the relationship between safety index and injury rates. Further, the multinational construction companies in Ghana have safety policies and procedures, but they are not used effectively. The study resulted in two policy recommendations. First, safety training programs and safety awareness signs and notices should be improved as a means of improving the presence of management commitment as perceived by workers. Secondly, supervisors should be trained to have positive safety-oriented attitudes that could improve the perceived management commitment, and also to serve as effective links in channeling the safety requirement to management. The use of the survey, the population size, and the number of companies observed are the main limitations of the study. Further, the study did not sample only artisans and causal workers because a case study of such nature was aimed at acquiring both the views of managers and workers on issues, to help verify the validity of answers obtained.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Thesis advisor: | Moure-Eraso, R |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | population; injury; policy; safety; training; construction worker; employee; Ghana; case study; interview |
| Index terms: | validity, Ghana, case study, notices, multinational construction company, safety training, determinant, construction worker, supervisor, statistics, presence, commitment, survey, manager, interview, developing country, management knowledge, injury, local contractor, program, population |
| Subjects: | software systems, development economics, professional development, Geography, health conditions and diseases, demography, occupational health and safety management, mathematical modelling, data collection methods, evaluation and assessment methods, risk assessment, contractual role, strategic management, practitioner, psychology, environmental science |
| Topics: | Health and Safety, Geographical Context, Risk Management, Sustainability, Information Management, Research Practice, Roles and Professions, Digital Applications, Urban Studies, International Construction, Contract Administration, Organizational Design |
| Descriptive scope: | 4 PCEA |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here